African American Male Achievement (AAMA)
My mom was a hard-ass and pressed it upon herself that my brothers and I would have a Jewish identity. She got us to the synagogue 2-3 times a week and the nearest one was 45 minutes away from our home. The half-way point of the journey between Kentucky and West Virginia summarized the social aspect of my childhood experience. A former gun store billboard was spray-painted white with a swastika and read: Nazi 4-Life.
My best friends and their family were also outsiders. They were black, unapologetic, and showed me a wealth of love I didn’t always receive at school or in the gym. In their home I felt loved and received and the experiences our families shared became the nexus of my identity and the springboard for my future ideas.
In 2013 I was introduced to two things: the Office of African American Male Achievement (AAMA) and a camera. The Executive Director, Chris Chatmon, and a photographer by the name of Nana Kofi Nti took me under their wing and taught me the ropes of acceptance, empathy, and love as the building blocks of personhood, community, and life as I dealt with anger and rage from my childhood.
I became the primary photographer for AAMA with a mission to reframe the narrative surrounding black boys in Oakland from one of violence and destruction to beauty and brilliance. Through my experiences with these men and children and watching them grow, I grew too. I transitioned away from anger and hate and become one with myself full of joy and happiness.
